“I came to London in the 70s and was so pleasantly surprised to see the kids dancing to ‘Expansions’,” recalled Lonnie Liston Smith to me back in 2004. “‘Expansions’ was the first time I really thought about writing lyrics,” he revealed. “I said well, okay, let’s come up with some really enlightening lyrics and at the same time the people can dance to it if they want to.” Regarded as his signature song, ‘Expansions’ – which features lead vocals from Smith’s younger sibling, Donald, over an intoxicating bass-propelled groove – was quickly adopted as an anthem by the UK jazz-funk club scene and appropriately kicks off BGP’s new anthology focusing on the Virginia keyboard player’s Flying Dutchman output.

Before going solo in the mid-70s, Smith’s CV as a sideman was impressive – he had played with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and had productive stints with Miles Davis (he contributed to Miles’ controversial 1972 album “On The Corner”), Gato Barbieri and most significantly of all, Pharoah Sanders. It was playing with Sanders that Smith discovered the electric piano, an instrument that became a crucial component in establishing his trademark sound.-[Excerpt Liner Notes by Charles Waring]-